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Gas giant
A gas giant is a huge planet made entirely of base gases, including fluorine, methane and ammonia. Typically they do not posses a solid surface, however, they do have dense, turbulent atmospheres, which are generally made of the same materials as stars, however, they lack the mass necessary to begin nuclear fusion. Theoretically, if two gas giants collide, they may be able to create a self-sustaining fusion reaction, leading to the birth of a new stars. (TNG: "Ship in a Bottle") There are several types of gas giants known to humans, Class J, Class 6, Class 7, and the Class 9 gas giant, which is also known to the Klingons as the Q'tahL class. (DS9: "Starship Down"; ENT: "Broken Bow", "Sleeping Dogs") The Sol system has four gas giants, none of which are Class 9. (ENT: "Sleeping Dogs") Gas giants contain a lot of intense magnetic fields that often create unique waveform. The resulting EM interference sounds very strange when played over speakers. Travis Mayweather referred to these sounds a siren calls, noting that while he lived aboard the ECS Horizon as a kid, his dad would put them through the speakers whenever they flew by a gas giant. (ENT: "Sleeping Dogs") In 2152, Enterprise (NX-01) pulled the IKS Somraw from a Class J gas giant. (ENT: "Sleeping Dogs", "Marauders", "Judgement") Later that year, they encountered a gas giant in Arkonian space that had "dozens of moons," and was referred to as "like a gravitational jigsaw puzzle." (ENT: "Dawn") The Xindi-Insectoid shuttle discovered in 2153 was discovered to have almost half of it's power grid routed to structural integrity, leading them to theorize that it could probably be flown inside a gas giant. (ENT: "Hatchery", "Azati Prime") In the mirror universe, the Tholians held the USS Defiant (NCC-1764) at a facility in the Vintaak system that was orbiting the gas giant. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly") In 2369, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) was able to witness the collision of two gas giants in the [[Detrian system. (TNG: "Ship in a Bottle") In 2370, the USS Raman became trapped in the atmosphere of a gas giant while the crew was attempting to sample the atmosphere at a low orbit. (TNG: "Interface") :According to the script, the planet was "a huge, greenish, Neptune-like planet. The swirling, violent quality of its atmosphere can be seen even from orbit." In 2371, a Maquis interceptor, piloted by the Female Changeling lured Kira Nerys and Odo to a moon orbiting the gas giant located near the Badlands. (DS9: "Heart of Stone") Background According to Geoffrey Mandel's ''Star Trek: Star Charts, Starfleet's planetary classification of gas giants are "class J" planets, ranging in age from 2 to 10 billion years. The diameter of a gas giant ranges from 50,000 km to 140,000 km, and its atmosphere is layered with various gases, at different densities and temperatures. Gas giants usually lie in the cold zone of a star's ecosphere, and have been known to host hydrocarbon-based indiginous lifeforms. Category:Astronomical objects de:Gasriese nl:Gas reus